Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim is an awesome, adventurous, epic fantasy novel.

A new start to a new amazing series set in an Arabian-inspired land with secret spice magic.

Woah! SPICE ROAD was just as beautiful on the inside as it was on the outside.
I thought the world-building was just brilliant.
The characters are multilayered, fearless, and reliable.
Sixteen-year-old Imani stole the show and kicked some ass.
The plot is thrilling, filled with twists and full of dangerous and unpredictable turns.
Overall, SPICE ROAD is a creative, passionate, epic fantastical novel by Maiya Ibrahim that is brimming with dangerous quest and complex, intriguing characters that once again kept me immersed and entertained from the very first page.
Each scene is so descriptive, I could nearly feel what everything feels like… As if I were there myself.
Overall, I couldn't put this book down. I was just what I needed a new, fresh take on the genre and I couldn't have enjoyed more if I tried.

"Raised to protect her nation from the monsters lurking in the sands, sixteen-year-old Imani must fight to find her brother, whose betrayal is now the country's greatest threat."

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Random House Children's & Delacorte Press,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC!

I absolutely love books based off of Arabic and Middle Eastern culture and this novel did not let me down. It was an adventure to read and I enjoyed it every moment. My entire life focused around reading this book; I could not put it down. The pacing was a beautiful mix of slow and fast pace moments. The character develop was masterfully done. I was rather annoyed with Imani in the beginning and loved her at the end. Everything was done with a master craftsman's hand. The only problem I have is that I now have to wait for the second book and I don't know how I will do that

Thank you much to NetGalley and Random House for the e-Arc!

Spice Road was one of my most anticipated TBR of 2023 and it did not disappoint. Arabian inspired themes with magic, djinni, and lots of adventure! I loved following the protagonist, Imani, on her journey away from home to rescue her brother and the transformation she personally goes through while experiencing the world around her. She starts off so naive and narrow minded, even in her own relationships with her siblings, but after seeing and really experiencing the suffering of the people around her empathy allows her to open her mind and heart. Not sold on Taha. Maybe team Qayn?! Not enough on that yet which is the most exciting part about this story - there is so much more to be told and I can’t wait to see where these characters end up!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved the Spice Road. Ibrahim’s writing is beautiful, and it was such an easy read. This book is everything that a YA Fantasy should be, with rich worldbuilding, an interesting tea-based magic system, and unique characters.

This Arabian-inspired story tells of Imani’s journey across a sand swept land to find her brother, Atheer. Accompanied by a cunning djinni and her fierce rival -Taha and his squad, her quest to find her brother is anything but smooth.

Along her journey, Imani is forced to face some hard truths about privilege, power, and loyalty. She must grapple with the fact that what she knows of the world, of her home, is not everyone’s reality.

I don't want to give too much of the book away, but I really enjoyed this story. Maiya Ibrahim is definitely an author to watch, and I can't wait for the next book. The Spice Road comes out January 2023, and I highly recommend that YA Fantasy fans check this one out!

Starts off a bit slow, and Imani takes a LONG time to mature but I really enjoyed Spice Road! I love bullheaded characters, and i wish we saw more of them (especially bullheaded girl protagonists!). I would have loved to see some of her sister’s pov, as I thought she was a very interesting and easy to love character. I also really enjoyed Qayn! He might be my favorite, after Imani. I didn’t care for the romantic subplot, but I understood its purpose—I think mostly I just really disliked the love interest, and I hope the sequel explores the possibility of Imani/Qayn, as I really enjoyed their dynamic,

I really had a great time with this book and this cover is so beautiful. The world in this book felt organic and the other thing that made me instantly connect with the story is characters especially with Imani and Taha. Overall this book was really magical fun and a very exciting read!
I will definitely be picking up the sequel as I have a feeling I'll really enjoy it and I'm looking forward to seeing where the story goes.

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

First, I would like to thank the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC. I’m a notoriously fast reader that often reads several books in one day, and I finished this book in a under a couple of hours. That’s a testament to the strength and quality of the author’s writing, for, when I’m not invested in a book, it takes me weeks to get through it.

There is such a musical, lyrical quality to the prose. The author speaks brilliantly about the power of hate and the ways in which it can be weapon used—the ways hate can be used to divide people to the extent that they cannot recognize their neighbors, their countrymen and countrywomen, as their brothers and sisters. Ibrahim also beautifully and heartbreakingly explores how hate leads to intolerance.

The main character, Imani, originally showed not quite hate, but a staunch rejection of any evidence of a culture that wasn’t unique to her specific personal history. She eventually overcomes these limiting beliefs and attitudes, so it’s interesting to see this quality of stubbornness tempered by conscience juxtaposed to the ruthlessness and cruelty of men like Bayek, who passed down his meanness to his son, Taha. It was sad to see Taha inherit so much of his father’s viciousness during the latter part of the novel after originally demonstrating softer aspects of his personality earlier in the quest. This father-son duo is quite problematic; they’ve done a lot of damage, inflicted a lot of pain and hurt, and are seemingly unapologetic for it. How ruthless! They are so invested in protecting their cultural history and advancing their own political agenda that they are willing to see the decimation of other people, or even induce the death of others themselves. How brutal!
It is one matter to be ambivalent toward the struggles of other people, it is another matter entirely to be unmoved by human suffering to the point that one participates in or actively contributes to the marginalization and destruction of another cultural group.

In this book, Imani—in seeking to save and redeem her brother from the crime he has committed—actually learns about her own privilege and the blindness it affords her to the realities of contemporary people; she confronts her own ignorance and learns to reckon with the notion that all lives are worth saving.
Hate and ignorance swirled in the minds and mouths of certain characters like the sandstorms that characterized the book, and darkness fell, yet, light remained, even when all readers could see was a silhouette of how great the characters could be, if they were only willing to step into the light, and retreat from the shadows. I can’t say much else because the book doesn’t come out until next year.

All in all, this was a unique fantasy book that highlighted the landscape of inequality, the horizons of struggle, the opportunity for self-improvement, and the pitfalls of humanity—the potential to maraud instead of save, damn instead of help. This book reconciled the virtues of pride with prejudice, the notions of justice with unfairness, and the notion of respect with brazen callousness or disregard for human life/humanitarian aid.
This book is full of magic, monsters—and monstrous boys/men—conflicting moralities, and so much more.
My favorite quote from the book was this: “Light not shared is light diminished.” I resoundingly praise and recommend this book! I hope people check it out when it drops officially in January 2023!

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Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this arc. I really enjoyed this book. It is an epic fantasy and I am looking forward to a sequel.

that cover is what drew me in and I'm so glad I was able to read this, it was a great start to this series. I was invested in what was happening. The characters were so well done and did what a great job in being real people. I loved the Arabic elements that were in the story and I really look forward to read more in this series.

"Truthfully, I can’t be sure if we are walking straight or circling like aimless moths around the sun’s flame. Taha said I would learn the way by following him, but I cannot remember the last step Raad took, let alone the first. Even Taha’s silhouette has not changed in—how long has it been? A minute, an hour, a year? He remains the same, a young man on a white colt, head bent against the occasional gusts of sand. Hateful sand, everywhere."

I requested an arc of Spice Road road due to the GORGEOUS book cover and synopsis that piqued my interest. It sounded like something right up my alley. I have never read anything by this author before nor had I ever heard of her until finding this on NetGalley.

Ibrahim's "Spice Road" tells the story of a privileged young woman, Imani, who comes from a high status/wealthy family who goes on a quest to find her brother, Imani. During her search for her missing brother, Imani comes to the stark realization that reality is not what she thought it was.

I do not want to spoil this incredible story, but I will say that all of the characters are completely relatable, vividly imagined, you cheer for them the entire time, Imbrahim's world-building is on par with GRRM (lush and expansive), and there are twists and turns that will keep you turning page after page after page after page.

I have no complaints about this story at all. I can see some people might think the pacing is a bit slow in the very beginning but it picks up extremely quickly and then it's a non-stop ride from there. Highly recommend to ANY and ALL fans of fantasy/adventure genres and who want a book to escape from reality for even just a few hours. 5/5 stars!

The Spice Road is an epic adventure full of magic, sand-swept landscapes, and fierce sand monsters. An Arabian-inspired fantasy and it did not disappoint!! I couldn't get enough of Imani and her group. The entire book was action-packed. I'm impatiently awaiting book two!

Buckle up for a quest that will make you want a cup of tea and a dagger. I’m an adult reader who often forgot that this book was YA because the themes of privilege, prejudice, and justice were so well-woven into the world building and tense plot. There’s a side dish of “will they won’t they” romance with a sprinkle of rivals to something more, so if you’re into that this book delivers: Thank you NetGalley for an arc copy for the book in exchange for an honest review.

This book has been a very special journey, I have spent a whole night with it after a first few chapters, and I don't regret a single thing. It was absolutely amazing, I had my heart broken and cried a lot, and it was a magical experience. I would definitely recommend to all fantasy lover readers. Especially if you wouldn't say no to a very well written love and yearning, because my heart just aches for some characters.

This book was beautiful! It's tea-based magic, not set in a western-based world, and has assassins. What else do you need? The messages shared in the book are moving and worth the read.

I have been hungry for more Middle Eastern tales since Ember in the Ashes, The Wrath and the Dawn, and We Hunts the Stars. I’ve read a few that have kindled a little bit of that same flame, but this epic tale has ignited a fire, one that will burn until I am quenched by the second book in this trilogy. Ibrahim had not only developed a fresh and unique magical world but has created such complex dynamic characters that felt a part of me by the conclusion of this book. The plot was fantastic, full of twists and turns, keeping me intrigued and on the edge of my seat! And the prose on this piece!!!! The writing is beautifully written, like a magical song written in the sands. This is a must read!!!!!

Excited to see we’re the story goes next in the coming book. The he story felt like it was a buildup for something larger to come. Interesting magic, would love to read more about it.

Thank you for allowing me access to an ARC of Spice Road. There were many unique and interesting aspects to this book, but the part that I was most interested in was the magic system. It was so cool! I really enjoyed the idea of different spices in tea awakening or enhancing an individual's special abilities. I liked that different characters had their own specialties and overall, I found this magic system to be very creative. This book will be popular in classrooms and school libraries.

It’s been awhile since I gave a 5 star review, but Spice Road 100% deserves it. This is one of the very best fantasy novels I’ve read in a long time. The basic plot isn’t that unusual - one group of people who have magic are threatened by another group that wants the magic - BUT the telling makes this so much more than a conflict between two groups. Brilliant characterization framed by lush description enhanced with the mythology and folklore of the Arabian Peninsula result in an unusual and compelling quest fantasy. It looks like this may be the start of series, and it is one I will eagerly anticipate.

Highly recommended.

While I was very much enjoying the book, it was not meeting the purpose of what I needed it for. It had a good plots and storyline, but the main character was overly dramatic and not willing to change. Or, I should say,she would change, then whine about it and change back, then whine about that and try to change, and whine about it, and change back, in a repeated pattern. Everything seemed to be a life or death pattern that was her fault that would never be solved. It became too much.

Tea magic? Sure! Assassins? Yes please! Fantasy adventure NOT medieval inspired? Sold! I really enjoyed this and I can't wait for more people to pick it up. Plus...look at that cover!